Just 5 minutes of walking can avert damage to leg arteries caused by sitting for long hours, a new research by the Indiana University states.
A sedentary lifestyle is associated with a number of health problems. It increases the risk of heart ailments, obesity, joint pains and metabolic diseases. Researchers explain that while sitting, relaxed muscles do not contract to effectively pump blood to the heart. This results in accumulation of blood in the legs affecting the ability of blood vessels to expand from increased blood flow.
Researchers said that the findings of the study revealed that prolonged sitting negatively affects endothelial function, an early marker of cardiovascular disease, and small walks can prevent the problems.
The study was conducted on 11 non-obese, healthy men aged between 20 and 35. Researchers performed two randomized trials on the participants. In the first experiment, the subjects had to sit for three hours without moving their legs. The research team then used a blood pressure cuff and ultrasound technology to measure the functionality of the femoral artery at baseline and again at the one-, two- and three-hour mark.
For the second experiment, the participants were made to sit during a three-hour period. They were also told to walk on a treadmill for 5 minutes at a speed of 2 mph at the 30-minute mark, 1.5-hour mark and 2.5-hour mark. The team again measured the functionality of the femoral artery at the same intervals as in the other trial.
The findings stated that during a three-hour period, the flow-mediated dilation, or the expansion of the arteries due to increased blood flow, of the main artery in the legs was harmed by at least 50 percent after just one hour. However, the arterial function in the participants who walked for 5 minutes each hour of sitting remained the same and did not decline throughout the three-hour period.
Thosar explained that increase in muscle activity and blood flow accounts for the better results. "American adults sit for approximately eight hours a day," he said. "The impairment in endothelial function is significant after just one hour of sitting. It is interesting to see that light physical activity can help in preventing this impairment."
